FIA clears 2018 Ferrari F1 Controversy

The governing body of Formula One, International Automobile Federation (FIA), has cleared constructor Ferrari of any suspicion regarding cheating. This comes after rivals questioned the team’s energy recovery system. The FIA had been examining the case after fellow constructors Mercedes and Red Bull raised concerns on the working of Ferrari.

Problem Solved

FIA race director Charlie Whiting told reporters on Saturday that Ferrari’s system was more complex than those of its rivals but everything has now been accepted. Whiting said, “We had some concerns in Baku (Azerbaijan Grand Prix) that were difficult to explain and we worked through it with them.”

Whiting further added, “(The rulebook) says that it is the duty of the competitor to satisfy the FIA that their car complies at all times and they were having difficulty satisfying us. Here, we are now satisfied.” The meeting was also attended by FIA president Jean Todt.

The Controversy

Whiting observed that a senior Ferrari engine designer changed sides and moved to Mercedes at the start of the season and said that former Ferrari technical head James Allison, who performs a similar role at Mercedes currently had raised concerns.

“The matter was exacerbated by unsubstantiated speculation that went through the paddock like wildfire,” said Whiting.

Gossip in the paddock had suggested that Ferrari was somehow bending the rules and regulations.

How was it solved?

The controversy burst out when the official Formula One website reported that the FIA had ordered Ferrari to “run an extra piece of hardware” so that they could have a look at the system.

Whiting said that the FIA had initially seen some things in the data which were unexplainable. He went through it with Ferrari and the explanations were far from satisfying.

“We wanted to really get to the bottom of it and in Spain, they took some measures to make sure we understood it more and that we were seeing things that we were happy with.”

Whiting complimented the role played by Cedrik Staudohar, the former Renault engine expert who now works for the FIA in the probe.

President Speaks

FIA president Todt, a former Ferrari boss, said, “If a team has some doubts, they could have made a protest. It would be much more healthy rather than to manipulate the press to address the problem.”